


Betty's Bells and Barista

by SunlitGarden



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Awkward Crush, Banter, Barista Jughead Jones, Baristas, Bells, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Hot Chocolate, M/M, Mall Elf Betty Cooper, Mall Santa Claus, Meet-Cute, One Shot, POV Betty Cooper, Strangers to Lovers, minor Joavin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:06:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21828676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunlitGarden/pseuds/SunlitGarden
Summary: Betty gets her dose of holiday spirit with a hot chocolate from a hot barista who seems very interested in the bells attached to her elf costume – as well as the rest of her.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 72
Kudos: 236
Collections: 6th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees, Home for the HoliDale





	Betty's Bells and Barista

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theheavycrown](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theheavycrown/gifts).



> This is unbeta'd in the hopes that holiday magic makes it legible. Huge thanks to Sarah, who inspired me with this prompt and her Christmas market travels when my attempts at writing hot chocolate fic were falling flat. Prepare to want hot chocolate and cute baristas in your life as I do every day. Actually, I married my hot (former) barista (even though that's not how we met)! Happy endings for everyone, but especially bughead!

Betty feels a little silly standing in line wearing her uniform, but her break is so short that she didn’t have time to do anything but throw her jacket on over it and stuff her hat in her purse.

It’s been _insane_ at Santa’s Village. People must be itching to send out the pictures with their Christmas cards because the line has been anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half. Sometimes, she and Kevin even have to entertain with mini skits and games to keep them from getting too rowdy. She’s exhausted. She’s parched. She just wants to grab her hot chocolate and his latte to get through the rest of the day.

Once she gets to the front of the line, she orders their drinks and grabs a treat to split between them when she gets back. They’ll need all the sugar they can get to keep up their energy.

A group of overbearing parents with their fussy spawn come into the shop. Too-tight outfits strain against the kids’ midsections and they try to kick off their fancy shoes as they twist and strain in their parents’ arms. To her horror, she realizes they’re all going to be in her line. And they’re buying marshmallows. Might as well buy them a pellet gun or confetti because the sugary snack was going to be all over the floor, kids, and poor Santa by the time they were done with the line.

“Betty?”

The bells on her shoes tinkle with every step as she goes forward to accept her order. The barista’s beanie is kinda funny. Everyone else on staff is wearing something holiday themed: Santa hats, elf-inspired caps, reindeer ears. His is just a gray, crown-edged beanie. For a King?

As she’s slowly taking the cups, she remembers herself and looks into his eyes to thank him, breath catching at the curious look he gives her.

“Is that you?” he asks.

“Yes, I’m Betty.”

“No, I meant–” She takes a step back, confused, only for her shoes to tinkle again. He leans over the counter, the realization dawning on him. “Ah, I see. Very themed.”

“It’s usually too much trouble to take them off,” she explains awkwardly. “You’ll probably be seeing me and my elf buddy Kevin in here for the holiday season to get caffeine.”

“Who ordered the hot chocolate?”

“Me.”

“You realize there isn’t any caffeine in there, right?” The teasing tone accentuates the little curve of his lip.

He’s _cute_.

She edges up onto her toes just to make the bells chime again. “It’s sugar and holiday spirit. That’s what I think, anyway.”

“Whatever works. Sugar _is_ one of your kind’s major forms of sustenance if Jon Favreau’s classic take on elf culture is to be taken seriously.”

“Definitely.” She nods, her cheeks and fingers warm. “Are you hoping we’re naive enough to think you guys have the world’s best cup of coffee?”

He laughs at the movie reference. “I can only dream. See you later, Betty.” The reserved twinkle in his blue eyes makes her heart beat harder. A goofy smile spreads on her face until someone clears their throat, indicating she’s crowding the counter. Not wanting to embarrass herself, she barrels through the door to get back to the main mall.

Kevin, looking a little worse for the wear, deflates into the break room chair. “You _are_ the Christmas miracle. I need so much more caffeine to handle these children without wanting to hang myself with holiday ribbon.” He takes a sip of his latte and hums in approval. “Good coffee.”

“Yeah.” She savors the rich warm chocolate on her tongue. “Good everything.”

The next time she goes in, the barista remembers her and adds a jaunty little attitude when he calls her name.

Heart fluttering in her chest, she takes her order, then blurts out, “Is your hat–”

“Non-denominational?” he fills in, wiping the counter from where the person next to her dripped their coffee whilst adding sugar.

“Oh, I thought it was…” She trails off, embarrassed.

Intrigued, he studies her. “What?”

“I thought it was for the King. Like, Jesus Christ, if you’re into that kinda thing.”

A bewildered smile spreads across his face before he breaks out into a sharp, clear laugh. “I’ll have to tell my boss that next time they give me crap. Thanks, Betty.”

“You’re welcome,” she manages, accidentally banging her knee into the counter in an attempt to shift and be coy before disappearing back into the holiday hellscape.

Any fear she had about embarrassing herself evaporates when he smiles at her from over the counter.

“Betty, welcome back.” He beams, handing her cup over more delicately than Kevin’s. A three-pronged Basquiat crown sits above her name.

“What’s this for?”

Just a few teeth peek out in a sly smile amidst a smattering of beauty marks on his cheeks and chin. “The crown means it was made by me.”

“The King?”

“Well, of coffee, at least,” he muses, eyeing her jacket like he kinda wishes he knew what was underneath. Betty considers ripping it open until she realizes that her hands are full and the only thing underneath is a bright red and green ensemble that is nowhere near as empowering as the Superman suit Clark Kent busts out. She takes an extra second to slip him a wrapped candy cane from her pocket as thanks and practically skips to the uneven rhythm of the bells on her feet.

The cashier seems annoyed that Betty keeps looking beyond him for her favorite barista. She rolls her lips together and holds onto the questions in her heart. The guy who gives her the drinks has beautiful blue eyes and wavy black hair tied back in a bun. By all means, she should still have that flutter in her chest when he calls her name, but she doesn’t.

An ache persists in her chest until her ears are buzzing.

That’s silly, of course, because everyone deserves a day off. She was just hoping to see him before hers. Or maybe learn his name.

Betty and Kevin park on the side of the mall that affords a walk past the café and she slows down to see if there are any beanies she can pick out of the crowd.

“Cute guy,” Kevin appraises, lingering in the window. “No wonder you’re always volunteering to go in.”

The guy with the man-bun smiles at Kevin in a way that makes Betty feel like she’s intruding on a striptease.

“Although I think he might be more interested in _me_. Sorry for you, but lucky for me!” He grins. “The hot chocolate and latte will be on me today–as will that man.”

She gives him a dubious look. “As much as I appreciate your horny generosity, that’s not even _my_ cute barista guy.”

“There are _more_ of them?”

Eyes bugged wide, Kevin barely has time to look back at the shop before Betty drags him away. They shouldn’t be late.

The cute barista looks up as she’s approaching the line. “Hey! Betty!”

“Hi.” Betty blushes as the other people in line turn to look at her.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come in today. Your elf buddy Kevin seemed very eager to do some stocking stuffing this year.”

His eyebrows raise in amusement, gaze flickering down her lips, and it’s only then she realizes she’s making a meme-worthy _omg_ expression and rights her features back to normal. “Yeah, well, that’s Kevin. Always eager to spread that Christmas cheer.”

The guy with the man-bun smirks from the cash register and Betty grows even warmer. “One hot chocolate?” he guesses, tongue poking at his teeth as she swipes her rewards card and pays. He glances back at the cute guy, who hurriedly pushes off other drinks to try and get to the hot chocolate machine faster. She feels like they’re speaking without saying anything and it’s making her wish she wasn’t wearing a lycra elf costume under her jacket so she wouldn’t sweat as easily.

“So tell me something, Betty.” Various machines whir and buzz. “Why would Kevin, the bestie elf whom you’ve been getting lattes for all week, not order you your hot chocolate?”

“Because he’s naughty?”

At that, her barista and the guy with the man-bun burst out laughing.

“You hear that, Joaquin?”

“Lucky me.” He grins, breaking down some cash for the customer after her.

“Because Joaquin had this _crazy_ theory that you might’ve wanted to stop in anyway.” Betty swallows hard, ducking her chin as her barista lays his hands on the counter, boring into her with his gorgeous blue eyes. “Even crazier, he thought you might’ve wanted to talk to me.”

“Is that so crazy?” Her lower lip rolls between her teeth, drawing his momentary attention.

Everything about him just seems so tense and soft from one moment to the next, his lean frame intimidatingly sexy under a green apron. “You tell me.”

“I don’t even know your name.” She laughs, tightening her ponytail in embarrassment.

“And if you did?”

“Well, then I might admit…”

“Jughead.” The two syllables are magnificently ridiculous. Her eyes widen and she releases her lip. “That’s my name. I’m sure I’m on your boss’s list.” He winks. It’s awkward and charming and that positivity overflows into a giggle and grin.

“Jughead,” she repeats, memorizing it so she can add it to her diary. “I think you were on the Nice list.”

“I don’t know about that.” He puts out his hand, which she shakes, her insides bubbling like a soda that’s been thrashed around in the back seat. It’s so _big_. She aggressively battles the little devil on her shoulder that wants to lead her mind to very dirty conclusions about that.

“So, Jughead,” she says slowly, relishing his name on her lips in a way that makes him smirk. As he releases her hand to grab the hot chocolate, he brushes the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist. Her whole body is vibrating. Clearly, he likes her. She likes him. She feels brave enough to move closer as he adds on the whipped cream and finishing touches, including the crown, to her drink. “My family got free tickets for this winter wonderland market thing. They have lights and Christmas cookies and–”

“Hot chocolate?”

She nods, gently taking her drink from him by the sleeve.

“You trying to let me down easy or introduce me to your family?” he asks, baffled, and somehow still endearing.

“Neither!” She insists, stepping to the side to make room for the next customer, but desperately needing to finish the thought. “Um, what I meant to say is, there are four tickets, and if you and Joaquin aren’t busy–maybe you’d like to do something?”

He stares at her for a moment before Joaquin clears his throat. “Uh, Jug? How are we coming on the coffee? Because I’m free on Thursday, but right now we’re kinda busy.”

“Right! Right, I–give me a second.” Jughead scrambles, grabbing a napkin and tearing through it with a pen the first strike. “Damn thing–” A scandalized mother covers her oblivious child’s ears.

“You can tell me later,” she promises. “When you’re less busy. Tomorrow, maybe?”

“Yes. I mean, yes in general, not just yes to tomorrow.” He rolls his eyes at himself, sighing deeply, repositioning his beanie before fixing her with a sincere smile. “Yes, Betty. I would love to.”

She beams on instinct. “Thank you, Juggie!”

His baffled smile lights her up like a firecracker, her bells tinkling loudly as she sprints out of the store and back to Kevin to report on everything.

The next day, her and Jughead exchange details and he watches her suck whipped cream off her finger. They text as frequently as possible about books, movies, random thoughts, _everything_. Kevin and Joaquin are more into sending selfies.

On the day of the date, she’s surprised to find Jughead leaning up against a motorcycle with Joaquin while they wait. Maybe she won’t take the bus back home when they’re all done.

Naturally, they drift into their respective pairings, chatting about various things and taking pictures under the lights. Kevin and Joaquin meander off to the ornaments section, which she’s pretty sure is just an excuse to make out by the fences.

“You cold?” Jughead asks, noting the way she keeps rubbing her hands together.

“Yeah, maybe. I was thinking–” He holds her hands between his and all thoughts melt right out of her head. “You’re so _warm_.”

He smirks, funneling his hands around hers, and steams her with his breath. A shiver runs down her spine and she has to stop herself from throwing her arms around him.

“There are a few ways to conquer that particular dilemma. We could get you some gloves from the stands, a hot chocolate, or–” He pauses, uncertainty flashing eyes.

Grasping his hands, she gently tugs him closer, then leans up and in. There aren’t any silver bells to announce her impending lean, but he meets her there nonetheless.

_A kiss._

**_The_ ** _kiss._

It simply knocks her breath away. They do it again, then once more before they’re smiling too much to do anything useful with their lips besides chat.

“It just figures I spent all this time on a non-elf outfit and you won’t even see it,” she teases, squeezing his hand tightly whilst nestling into her winter coat.

“I like your elf outfit. Brings out the green in your eyes.” He smiles, a light pink still dusting his cheeks. “I have to admit, I miss the silver bells announcing you were near. Always the best part of my day because I knew you’d be coming in.”

“Really?”

He nods, hesitating, then adding, “I know it sounds cheesy, but it was also the saddest part too because it signaled when you were going away.”

No one ever really _says_ things like that to her and she finds herself floating on cloud nine.

“Here.” She buys a tiny set of bells and clips it onto her ponytail elastic since her boots don’t have laces. “A little something to announce me.”

“Really?”

She nods just to show them off.

With a big, triumphant grin, Jughead takes her face in his hands and plants a loving kiss on her lips, her hair tinkling happily as she tilts to meet him for another.

Whatever’s under her jacket: her outfit, her skin, her heart - soon, she'll show him all of it.

**Author's Note:**

> How do you see the various orders going down? You ever have a cute coffee date? I love romance and chocolate and warm beverages. Obviously, bughead needs all three of these things. I'd love to have your thoughts! They are like marshmallows of joy in my life. Thanks for reading and feel free to tumble with me @lovedinapastlife


End file.
